


The Sky Was Blue And The Night Was All I Wanted

by SoldierOfMyShadowyMind



Series: I Won't Fall When You're Shook [4]
Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Banter, Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Eddie really just wants to get his article done, Falling In Love, Fluff, Humor, Other, Revelations, Venom is a whiny dramatic blob, Venom is bored, instead he gets to babysit his cute blob of symbiote slime, ridiculousness with warm and fuzzy feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-06 01:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16379054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoldierOfMyShadowyMind/pseuds/SoldierOfMyShadowyMind
Summary: Eddie braces both arms on the kitchen counter, regarding the blob of goo swimming in the remains of his breakfast. “I’m not helping you” he announces. “You got yourself into this mess. It’s your own fucking fault.”Venom whines and snaps teeth up at him, splashing dirty water into every direction.“Still not impressed” Eddie informs him, content to just stand by and watch, and he finds himself grinning a little smugly.(Or: Eddie’s working late. Venom falls down the drain. Eddie has an epiphany or two.)





	The Sky Was Blue And The Night Was All I Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> Hi folks! If I wasn’t Eddie/Venom trash before I definitely am now and my mind is racing and my fingers incessantly typing.
> 
> Regarding this outpour of silliness, my only defence is that I love tiny, snaky Venom so much and let’s face it, that adorable blob is dramatic af. I really, really just wanted to write a little snapshot featuring bored, whiny Venom and exasperated Eddie but as my stories tend to do, it got away from me and turned into Eddie contemplating their relationship (and Venom being a cute blob. Nothing new there).  
> Here you go, have some domestic fluff while I go work on some angsty Symbrock fic with actual plot.
> 
> Title from Brandon Flower’s _Jacksonville._

Eddie flexes his fingers and squints at the clock in the bottom right corner of the computer screen. The white digits blur before his eyes. 10:23pm. He’s been working for nine hours straight and while this is no unusual occurrence, right now he’s feeling every bloody minute in his very bones. The article’s refusing to come together, leaving Eddie scraping for words. He’s spent the last fifteen minutes deleting and rewriting the same sentence. Sighing, he erases the stubborn, disobedient string of words for the twenty-seventh time and leans back in his chair – not the most comfortable one; ever since he got his job back, proving to his employer he was worth keeping was more important a thing to worry about than buying new furniture let alone looking for a new apartment. Eddie stretches his tired limbs, hearing the bones crack. He grimaces, feeling uncomfortable in his own body.  He hasn’t showered this morning, opting instead to sleep in (which he sincerely regrets now) after the night out he and Venom had yesterday.

Running around town hunting for proof and pictures for the past couple of weeks has left little time for a _proper_ meal and Venom had relentlessly poked and prodded and whined until Eddie finally gave in. They came home in the early hours of the morning, having devoured a substantial amount of muggers, rapists, and what have you. Eddie had staggered through the front door, eyes half-closed and brain already on standby, rushing to the bathroom where he spent twenty minutes scrubbing the disgusting taste from his mouth. A hint of rust and metal still on his breath, he’d thrown the bloody t-shirt in the bin and dropped bonelessly onto his bed. When he’d opened his eyes, it had been past midday and Venom had been happily curled around his ribcage, inky tendrils rising and falling with the movements of Eddie’s chest. The one advantage Eddie draws from these exhausting night-time activities: A satiated symbiote is a happy symbiote. And a happy Venom makes for a happy Eddie and some uninterrupted hours to work on his current report.

Not that that state ever lasts long.

By 5pm Venom had started squirming, distracting Eddie by never staying in a place longer than two minutes, climbing through his body and poking here and there as if to check everything’s still working. While Eddie appreciates the care – he does, Venom truly is adamant at looking after him, keeping their shared body in shape and good health – it did nothing to centre his focus on his report and as a result he was growing agitated.

Half an hour later Eddie had been ignoring Venom’s demand for chocolate, telling him to just get it himself. (When he’d shuffled into the kitchen a couple minutes later to get himself a glass of water, he’d found Venom munching away on a Hershey bar, contentedly sitting in the family-sized bag of chocolate treats. Eddie had snorted out half the water through his nose, pretending he didn’t find the display utterly adorable.)

The sun had started to set on the horizon but Eddie hadn’t even noticed until the flimsy lights in his apartment had been switched on. Surprised, he’d looked up, only to find Venom perched atop the poor excuse for a lamp over his head at the table, black goo sluggishly dripping onto Eddie’s shoulders. “Thanks, buddy” he’d muttered, turning his attention back to the screen.

Now, one should think that stranding on a new planet would be cause for curiosity and explorations, learning how things worked in one’s new homeworld. Venom didn’t lack curiosity, he was all over literally everything, dragging Eddie around into and out of shops at his whim, making Eddie take the cable car five times a day simply because he liked the soft rattling motion. The thing was, nothing could hold the symbiote’s attention for long. Eddie was starting to think he’d taken in an abandoned child rather than allowed a powerful alien partner into his body, life, and everything else.

Being holed up in the apartment all day certainly wasn’t high on Venom’s list of fun activities and it was only a matter of time before the symbiote got bored.

Nestled back into Eddie’s body Venom watched through Eddie’s eyes, dropping the odd comment now and then while Eddie tried to keep his attention focused on his research.

 ** _We should eat that man,_** Venom suggested six hours into Eddie’s fight with words.

“What? No. You had a feast yesterday, in case you’ve forgotten.”

**_But he’s a murderer. A bad guy. BAD._ **

“Yes, very, very bad, but he hasn’t actually killed anyone and he’s a public figure. Remember that talk we had about not eating public persons because it’ll eventually get us on the front page?”

**_Bad._ **

“Is that your new favourite word? I don’t even know what you’re talking about anymore.”

Ten minutes later – Eddie had been staring at the judgementally blinking cursor for a while, silently cursing everything and everyone he could think of – Venom had reached out into Eddie’s fingertips, taking control over his body and letting his fingers dance over the keys. As a result, Eddie had now been faced with a whole page of nonsense and a not-so-secretly gleefully giggling symbiote. He’d tried to wrench his hands away but Venom had cheerfully kept on treating him like a puppet on a string.

“For God’s sake, stop it!” Eddie had yelled, furious and frustrated.

 ** _But Eddie,_** Venom had whined in his head.

“What” he’d snapped, tone clipped and curt.

**_Bored._ **

Eddie had rolled his eyes, feeling ridiculously like a single dad with a grouchy child. “You know what they say? Boredom makes people creative.”

He should have known he was going to regret ever having said that. Venom’s interpretation of creativity – after having fled Eddie’s body, moping and grumbling – involved turning the apartment on its head, rifling through every closet and drawer – not that there was anything for him to find that he didn’t already know or had seen in Eddie’s thoughts and memories, no, he just generally enjoyed setting Eddie’s teeth on edge –, snaking up the walls and swinging on the lamp hanging over Eddie’s head, causing him to connect his forehead rather unpleasantly with his keyboard with a deep, helpless sigh, and, oh wonder, emptying the fridge.

Needless to say, Eddie’s day hasn’t been particularly productive so far. Eyeing the word count with a scowl Eddie pushes back the chair and flinches when it scrapes over the floor with a screeching noise. He steers towards the bathroom, his fingers icy cold and eyelids heavy. He has deadlines to meet, though, so he mentally prepares himself for a sleepless night (and isn’t that gonna be fun).

**_Eddie. EDDIE. Help._ **

Eddie stops at the whimper in his head. He can sense the underlying smirk in the words and he knows Venom’s just trying to get his attention – the symbiote’s been doing nothing else for the past nine hours, after all – but he turns around anyway because when it comes down it, he’s weak and totally enamoured with his alien other half.

“What have you done now?” he mutters, more to himself, as he drags himself over to the kitchen.

What he finds… well, he can’t quite say it takes him by surprise. It isn’t even the strangest thing he’s come across, not by miles.

Venom has somehow managed to cram his body into the lonely cereal bowl standing in the sink, filled with water, some cornflakes floating around on the surface. The symbiote looks up at Eddie, looking positively _miserable._ Eddie knows he’s in deep when all he can think is how goddamn _adorable_ the whole ridiculous scene is. He also knows he won’t get any more work done tonight.

“Vee” he says, heaving a monumental sigh. “I would ask why but I don’t think I want to know.” Eddie knows, anyway. Venom does get creative when he’s bored and he knows how he can get Eddie to abandon everything else. A bit like a puppy, Eddie thinks, constantly wanting to play. Affectionate and loyal, disregarding any and all rules with a gleefully determined passion, and following him everywhere.

Eddie braces both arms on the kitchen counter, regarding the blob of goo swimming in the remains of his breakfast. “I’m not helping you” he announces. “You got yourself into this mess. It’s your own fucking fault.”

Venom whines and snaps teeth up at him, splashing dirty water into every direction.

“Still not impressed” Eddie informs him, content to just stand by and watch, and he finds himself grinning a little smugly. He will never cease to be amazed by the symbiote’s acrobatics, however. How such a giant monster could squeeze all that strength and teeth into such a tiny snake-like appearance is beyond him.

 ** _“Help”,_** Venom cries again. **_“Drowning.”_**

Eddie laughs. “Drama queen” he huffs as he lets Venom squirm, still not feeling terribly inclined to jump to his symbiote’s rescue. It’s just a tad bit funny.

 ** _“Please, Eddie. Miss you, Eddie.”_** Looking honest-to-God _rejected_ , Venom rests his head on the rim of the bowl, tongue hanging sadly out of his mouth. And this goldfish had once been set on a mission to devour Earth whole. Eddie has trouble believing it. He knows better than anyone that Venom is anything but harmless but this? This is just annoyingly cute.

Eddie sighs and takes pity on him. He pushes up his sleeves and reaches down into the sink. Instead of jumping onto his outstretched hands, though, Venom stays still, observing the cornflake that keeps bumping against his body.

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Are you really going to make me fish you out of there?” And he knows it’s just his imagination but Venom looks terribly hopeful and innocent when he blinks up at Eddie.

Accepting his fate Eddie lowers his hands into the bowl, the cold water harsh on his freezing fingers. He scoops Venom up and lifts him out of the bowl, cradling the small, snaky creature in his palms. Venom squirms happily.

**_“Eddie. My Eddie.”_ **

“You’re slimy.” Eddie makes a face, refusing to smile at the unfairly endearing display. Without further ado he carries the symbiote to the bathroom where he turns on the tap as hot as it’ll go and holds his hands under the warm stream of water. Slowly, the numbness recedes and the life returns to his fingers. Eddie stands there, letting the water run over his hands, Venom clinging to his wrists, wound through his fingers. The grip is tight as if Venom’s holding onto Eddie like he’s his last straw and Eddie sighs inwardly, overcome with affection. He’s figured out a while ago that as much as Venom requires constant feeding, he also lives and strives off touch. He likes to emerge and settle around Eddie’s shoulders or on Eddie’s chest, demanding tender loving care. And Eddie’s happy to oblige. _Seeing_ Venom sometimes makes it easier to cope with his presence even though it’s barely an issue anymore. The second voice in his head has long since grown to be a comfort and Venom’s habit of appearing suddenly and without warning has lost its scare.

While _cuddly_ would have been the last adjective Eddie would have used to describe Venom when he’d first met him, he’s grown rather fond of their quiet nights together, sitting in front of the TV or lying in bed, reading or just dozing, Eddie absently stroking the symbiote’s head and body in gentle caresses.

Venom never leaves him for longer than a couple of minutes at a time, too, an hour only when he’s feeling particularly pouty. Eddie knows there’s a certain form of fear underlying Venom’s behaviour but he understands it – the more time passes, the more he finds he feels the same. The intimacy they share is so much more intense and profound than anything he’s ever felt before and he knows with utter clarity that he won’t ever let Venom go. After the first weeks of confusion and figuring out the details of living with each other, they’ve always been honest with their feelings, if friendly teasing, and despite every concern Eddie might have had, the relationship between them has developed naturally and Eddie finally feels like he’s standing on firm ground again, for once the world not shaking apart around him. It feels good, something like happiness and stability.

The symbiote purrs merrily, enjoying the warmth as much as Eddie’s pleasantly tingling hands. He lets the feeling circulate through his body, revelling in it, letting Venom feel it through his skin, in their shared mind. The calm warmth there is a respite from a dull day of wracking his brains and scowling at the world at large and Venom notices, sending gentle pulses of comfort and encouragement. But despite spending every waking and sleeping moment with him and knowing every corner of their joined existence, Eddie still isn’t prepared for what happens next.

Drawing back, Eddie moves to turn off the tap but the sudden motion makes Venom slip off his fingers and Eddie can only watch in stunned disbelief as Venom flushes down the drain, in a gurgling rush of water.

**_“Eddieeeeeeeeee!”_ **

Turning off the water Eddie stands there, blinking in surprise. Then his eyebrows shoot up and a flash of panic washes over him. “Vee?” he calls out, bending over the sink. “Vee?!”

In retrospect, the situation makes him flush with embarrassment and then shake his head at himself and his mess of what he calls life.

A tiny head peeks up at him as Venom wriggles upwards out of the drain and glides around in the sink. Eddie crosses his arms, glaring at him, hiding his relief. “You’re ridiculous” he declares, wondering how the hell he ended up here. Having a partner who can crawl through ventilation shafts can be very helpful at times when you incidentally need to illegally obtain information. But having said partner behave like a child and unnecessarily give you a heart attack is really not what Eddie signed up for.

**_“Helpless, Eddie. Rescue me.”_ **

Eddie arches a doubting eyebrow. Then chucks all hope of getting his silly symbiote to see sense out the window and picks him up. Venom shivers happily, then sneaks under Eddie’s sleeve and up his arm, leaving a trail of slippery coolness on his skin.

Eddie swats at his arm. “Stop that, that’s disgusting” he complains but Venom settles on his shoulder and it feels a bit like having syrup stick to your skin.

 ** _“Cold”_** he laments. His voice is entirely too cheery when he demands, **_“Snuggles!”_**

Eddie glances at his reflection in the mirror and gives a rather impressive eye-roll. “Is this really necessary?”

 ** _“Yes”_** Venom declares. **_“You are comfortable. Warm.”_**

Just like he enjoys touch, Venom absorbs body heat like a sponge, basking in it. Fire is lethal but Eddie… Eddie sometimes feels like Venom’s place in the sun. In return, the symbiote seems to adjust to whatever Eddie needs, cool, calming relief on a hot day, or warm and cosy, wrapped around his wrists and arms and shoulders when it’s storming outside.

All those little things, utterly familiar and reminiscent of a human relationship, make thinking about being in a relationship with his alien much more imaginable, more plausible. Eddie’s given that matter more thought than he’d like to admit but although they don’t have secrets from each other he still isn’t sure where they stand. He’s seen Venom’s thoughts, felt his waves of affection and happiness, but sometimes it feels like intruding on something private, something he has no business in snooping around. The symbiote is open about wanting him but Eddie isn’t sure what this means to Venom, to what lengths his devotion extends. They depend on each other, he knows Venom would never hurt or abandon him, and in turn Eddie makes sure to make this world feel as much like home as he can for his friend. Eddie cares for him, more than he ever thought possible and he doesn’t want to imagine what falling asleep without the guarding presence at the back of his mind would feel like. He enjoys their adventures, and even though his stomach still keeps churning agitatedly, he thinks he’s slowly managing better with his fear of heights. It’s a long road but beneath Venom’s mockery there’s always the promise of catching him when he falls. Protection.

Anne’s still worried Venom might be a bad influence on Eddie but putting aside the considerable adjustments he’s had to make, Eddie sees the ways Venom’s changed his life for the better. They’ve given each other a second chance at life and they’re living it together. And they’ve grown, they’ve come a long way. Eddie had reached for Venom once and he’d do it again. Whatever it is they’ve built, it’s significant and mutual and it might just be on the cusp of something more.

But Eddie isn’t sure if this can be called love.

 ** _“Sad, Eddie?”_** Venom asks, voice smaller than usual and oddly concerned.

He snaps his head up, abruptly letting his train of thought collide with the nearest wall. “No” he says, too fast. Shaking his head he tries to get rid of the creeping feeling of nervousness but what finally manages to wipe the frown from his features is Venom sticking his head out of the neck of Eddie’s hoodie, regarding him in the mirror. Eddie squints down at him and Venom nuzzles his cheek. Eddie smiles. His endearing little blob.

They are each other’s source of reassurance and warmth. Venom gently reminds him of his presence when Eddie’s having a particularly hard and tiring day, just a mental nudge or a secret caress. Eddie gets up in the middle of the night to buy him chocolate when wistful thoughts about his faraway home are keeping Venom from resting.

It might be love. Eddie finds he’s okay with it if it is. For now, it’s simply _them_ and being just that works well for them. Anything else, he supposes, time will tell. They’re probably in for some awkward conversations but they’ve managed much more life-threatening scenarios. They’ll be fine.

Venom lovingly rubs against his jaw and Eddie chuckles, overwhelmed by fondness when the symbiote crawls around his throat and into the hood of his sweater, curling up and snuggling against the cosy, worn-out fabric.

“I gotta work, buddy” he tries one last time but he knows it’s futile.

Venom peeks out of his hideout, head coming to rest on Eddie’s shoulder. He’s eyeing him with such intensity that Eddie feels his face warm up and no, he’s not going to blush in front of his alien roomie, they’re sharing a body for Christ’s sake, they should be way past that stage.

Or maybe Venom knows just that little bit more about where they are. Maybe he has this entire time, sure and steady, and Eddie just needed a couple of months to catch up.

Their reflection in the mirror sums up their story without words and Eddie gives up the last shreds of resistance. In more than just one way.

“Okay, how ‘bout we have a look what’s on TV?” he suggests and Venom purrs happily, ducking back into his nest and Eddie can feel him wriggling in excited anticipation.

He half-heartedly tries to be annoyed at Venom’s not-so-covert attempts at getting Eddie to cuddle him but he’s stopped paying attention to the programme five minutes in, anyway, so he settles deeper into the couch cushions and Venom winds around his neck and arms, coiling up on his chest. Eddie feels the rippling vibrations of contentment in his veins and he lets his mind wander, full of possibilities.

And if they end up falling asleep in front of the television, volume turned low, curled around each other, holding on tighter than ever, no one’s the wiser. And if Eddie misses his deadline, well, he’s exposed something much more significant.

**_Love you, Eddie._ **

It’s the best night’s sleep Eddie has had in weeks.

**Author's Note:**

> I did not expect the ending to be comparatively pensive and earnest. Huh.
> 
> Thanks to all of you for your support, you are wonderful!!
> 
> Talk to me on [tumblr](http://atravellingsoldierstaleofwinter.tumblr.com/)!


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